Many strive for exclusivity, whether in terms of housing, personal belongings, memberships, or otherwise. Possessing something that not everyone else has can provide the object with a certain amount of extra value, even if not intrinsically so. “Where did you get that?” “Never mind. I got the last one… but you’re free to envy mine!” If everyone else has the same thing you have, even if it’s great, does that decrease its value? Perhaps it shouldn’t… but it’s true that many of us would prefer things that make us feel special in some way. A membership to Chicago’s Standard Club, the site of our featured car, could be considered one of those finer things.

The Standard Club is a private social club that operates with the intent of implementing positive societal change, the members of which are persons who are centers of influence here in the Chicagoland area. And it’s super fancy. In fact, when I used to walk past this building twice a day between work and my Red Line train during the work week, sometimes my pinkies would extend involuntarily.

Though I’ve never been inside the SC, I have previously been to dinner at the nearby, similar Union League Club, which is one block west, having been invited by business associates. Not to sound ungrateful, but that was a long evening. Thank goodness I had a bunch of ones in my wallet that night for each time I had use the restroom, to pay the bathroom towel guy. Tipping a restroom attendant is just something a kid from a car-building factory town (that isn’t Detroit) would never have to do, even on an occasional basis.

I loved that the SC was the background against which I spotted and photographed our featured car. By the fall of ’83, it was no longer a secret that smaller, FWD versions of GM’s C-Bodies were waiting in the wings for ’85. Buyers didn’t seem to panic about the impending disappearance of the biggies, because overall Ninety-Eight sales for ’84 were down by a whopping 36% that year, dropping to just 77,000 from 120,000 in ’83. (Sales did rebound handily with the downsized ’85s, with 169,500 sold.)

Even if Buick ostensibly sat just above Oldsmobile in the (by-then obsolete) GM prestige hierarchy, in my opinion, Oldsmobiles had styling that seemed a bit more ornate to me than that featured on the pride of Flint. For example, the vertical, outboard taillamps on pretty much all Ninety-Eights I can recall always seemed a bit “Cadillac-lite”, but not at all in a bad way. The solid, amber side marker lights up front were my clue as to the model year of this example.

This burgundy beauty is an example of mass-produced, “exclusive” luxury (it’s a Regency Brougham – which ultimately was the most popular submodel that year, with 42,000 sold) aimed squarely at the upper-middle-class (is there a such thing as the “lower-upper-class” outside of perhaps the nouveau riche?), in front of a private social club that requires a paid membership. The irony of this was as delicious as a glass of port wine that shares the color of this landship.

“Port” could also describe the area of curbside real estate where this Olds was docked while waiting for valet. I feel that time has been kind to the styling of these cars, though, and given the thinning of their ranks by the time I had taken these pictures almost three years ago, this Ninety-Eight Regency still had undeniable stature and class – even in comparison to the modern Cadillac XTS parked behind it.

Little was truly exclusive to the Oldsmobile brand by the mid-’80s, following the elimination of separate engineering departments among the GM brands in the Roger Smith era, and the consolidation that resulted in the BOP (Buick-Olds-Pontiac) Group. However, as late as ’84, power for one of these Ninety-Eights still came from an Olds-sourced 307 with 140 horsepower. Regardless, I still lament the passage of what had once been the sales juggernaut that was Oldsmobile on a semi-regular basis. Cars like this one, while not the bread and butter that were most of the Cutlass lines throughout the ’80s, had quietly provided consistent sales support to Lansing.

Come to think of it, the more I look at this Ninety-Eight, the more I like it. What would a middle-income desk jockey like me want with bespoke luxury, anyway? While tailored shirts are nice to have (I own exactly one custom-made shirt, which I’ve worn less than ten times), I’ll buy my work clothes from the sale racks at Macy’s or Sears, thank you very much. I can certainly live without “craft” anything. I feel that while it’s important to work to realize some of my aspirations now, I must sometimes simply make the best of what I have at present and just save some dreams for later. Ownership of this mothership, the very automotive incarnation of mainstream luxury, would definitely have been something to aspire to when new – exclusivity be darned.

85 Comments

Refer 1980 movie “Ordinary People” to see just where this breed of car was aimed. Things were probably were shifting toward the Europeans at the younger end of the spectrum but I’d bet many established customers still bought these on autopilot every 2 years.

The car casting in “Ordinary People” was perfect for Lake Forest, Illinois circa 1980. Oldsmobiles still would have been seen as the “right choice” for a quietly upscale car. That would change radically over the next decade, however, and the same driveway would likely have had a very different automotive profile in 1990. Today in Lake Forest, you literally never see any domestic sedans driven by the locals, just domestic SUVs (minority) and imported sedans and SUVs (majority). Were the movie made now, Beth Jarrett would be driving an Audi Q7 and Cal Jarrett would be behind the wheel of an Audi A6.

Perhaps you ought ride in one and see why. Americans have different idea of what a luxury car is: ostentatious, luxurious, plush, comfortable, easy-going motors, etc. German idea of luxury car is almost diametrically opposite: tight handling, stiff ride, hard seats, optional power accessories (yes, they mostly were not standard fitment in Germany back then), high-strung motors, etc.

I lived in Texas for number of years before moving back to Germany. I’ve come to appreciate those GM B- and C-bodies as best match for driving in wide open Texas. My German friends and relatives who visited us in Dallas often marvelled at those American cars. They couldn’t believe how much a large and well-equipped plushomobiles would cost as compared to smaller German cars.

By the way, they were very popular in the Switzerland and Germany during the late 1970s and early 1980s due to the weaker US dollars against Swiss Francs and Deutsche Mark.

Keep in mind though, that a MB W126 S-Class was equipped to the max when it was shipped to the US. It was never “plush” though and certainly much more expansive than an Oldsmobile. In Germany the majority of 80s S-Classes probably came as 280 S / SE with crank windows and certainly without A/C.

That Swiss and French (AMC Pacer!!!) had a thing for (large) American cars always bummed me out

The thing is these overly plush cars were always tremendously uncomfortable for me. The soft suspensions resulted in odd body movements that were almost nausea inducing, and the soft seats triggered my lower-back pain after around 20-30 minutes at the wheel.

Very well to do people in (then) Israel I can tell you, although not as many as in the 60s for example. Those were the malaise years and by that time the European equivalents attained reliability levels not hitherto present.

Right… I though they all converted into Volvo-Judaism by then, but obviously there were still enough members of the older generation around. It’s very different in Israel nowadays with the Europeans and Lexus haven taken over the luxury sedan sector (with a few Chrysler 300s and the odd Cadillac making an appearance).

my parents in 1984 bought a brand new Delta 88, they looked at the 98 and decided that it was too much money for a touch bit bigger 88. We looked at the 84 Caprice as well and Dad and Mom both weren’t impressed with the car or the salesman.

The 88 they thought was a better car, Dad being an engineer with the power company and Mom was a homemaker, both well read and educated people. – it turned into a complete clunker by the time it hit 100,000 miles. Looked brand new, but was a mechanical disaster, having gone through 3 of the wonderful TH-200C transmissions and the anemic 307 was getting ready to drop a valve, and had issues with intake manifold gaskets (who was the genius at GM that thought that a steel gasket between a cast iron head and aluminium intake was a good idea)

It wasn’t meant for anything more than a Briggs and Stratton in my book. the 180 was the Chevette transmission. The 200 was really meant for a six in a lightweight car, but an 84 Olds 88 tipped the scales at 3500 pounds, and an Olds 307 had enough torque to tear up the lightweight 200 in stock form.

Yes, we had a 1977 Impala with a 305 and the THM200 (with “METRIC” stamped on the bottom of the pan) – it got rebuilt at 40K miles, and then was yanked out for a T350 at about 89K miles or so (I did the swap myself and also rebuilt the T350 first).

It’s too bad your parents did get there Delta 88 with TH200-4R OD transmission. It was considerably better than the TH200 and typically also meant you got a numerically higher rear end ratio for better off the line performance. While initial versions of the TH200-4R and TH700-R4 weren’t the best, they improved the design throughout it’s life. I have owned several of each and never had any issues as long as it’s maintained properly.

The TH200 was designed to save fuel. It came from an era of cost cutting and saving fuel at all cost to other metrics. It has very low internal rotating mass comparable to a powerglide. it was stamped metric since it used metric fasteners.

The problem was GM lightened it so much it had no durability. I think another big issue was that this was the first GM transmission to use a TV cable in place of a modulator and kickdown. I am sure many techs adjusted it as if it was kick down cable or simply didn’t understand the importance of adjusting it properly. An incorrectly adjust TV cable can burn up a transmission due to inadequate line pressure since the TV controls the line pressure.

I’m not much of a fan of Oldsmobiles, yet they did produce some great looking cars fairly often. (I considered the brand as the GM equivalent of Mercury.)
For me, the same year Buick full-sizer sort of trades on it’s reputation while the Oldsmobile is a more conscious attempt at purposely styling a luxury car with performance as a bonus.

Great article and photos Joe! Sometimes I feel a car is just being begged to be photographed and this is certainly one!

Although my grandfather owned many Oldsmobiles starting in the 1970s until his passing in 2003, the only Ninety-Eight he ever owned was his 1992 Regency, a car which reverted from the rather generic looking 1985-1990 Ninety-Eights, and incorporated many of the styling elements of this car (somewhat unsuccessfully) with an aero twist.

During the 1980s, however, he was squarely a RWD Cutlass Supreme coupe man, owning to my knowledge (as it was a few years before I was born) three of them, the first of which was a diesel he bought for the perceived efficiency as he was still working and commuting at that point. He would have been in his 50s and early 60s then, kids all grown, was relatively successful, and he also retired during this period so an Oldsmobile coupe was the perfect car.

I don’t really know what made him buy the Ninety-Eight, other than the fact that the new FWD Cutlass Supremes were a bit too radical looking for him.

Regarding the departure the ’88 Cutlass Supremes were from their RWD predecessors, even though I thought they were good-looking, I’ll bet they were just too much of a departure (even just visually) than the cars they replaced.

Let us not forget that the last RWD Oldsmobile was a Bravada, available with AWD or loss leader RWD at the end of production, (Which is stupid BTW – AWD ONLY was originally part of the exclusivity of the Bravada vs it’s platform mates.)

The last V8 RWD Oldsmobile was the 1992 Custom Cruiser wagon.

The last V8 RWD Oldsmobile coupe was the small run of 1988 Cutlass Supreme Classic built while waiting on W-body production to pick up.

The last V8 RWD Oldsmobile sedan was the 1987 Cutlass Supreme sedan.

Those are a little more “exclusive” to me – but I also find it sad that more buyers weren’t eager to snatch up the last Olds B/C body sedans before production ended.

It really gets to me when i hear negative comments about american luxury cars. these “landyachts” are the Duesenbergs and Packards and classic Caddys of the future. i can tell you that after driving my BMW 330xi for about four years……i miss the cars i grew up around in NYC. i miss steering with one finger,i miss that smooth ride where you dont feel the potholes of NY. i miss the living room sofa like seats. i love my bimmer and i can tell you few cars perform as well as my 330 does. im not getting rid of it, but i am in the market for a daily driver to get to work in. in my Cadillac years now (56) im looking for an older caddy or 90’s new yorker or Buick to coddle me on my way to work. so dont knock these beautiful american “bigger is better” cars until you have actually driven one or better yet owned one. not everyone wants to slay a curve at 100 miles per hour. most just want to get there safely and comfortably.

I’ve owned quite a few GM B bodies. They are very competent, refined, comfortable and easy to drive cars.

But I don’t see them as the Dusenbergs of the future. The 1932 Deusenberg J was capable of 320 HP and 152 MPH…in 1933!! So they were not only luxurious but so far ahead in terms of engineering.

I would agree that a GM B body is a comfortable cruiser. I still miss the cranberry leather seats from my Buick Roadmaster. But it’s not a Dusenberg. Even an LT1 equipped 1996 Buick Roadmaster or Impala SS did not have the HP of a 1933 Dusenberg

I hear you jerseyfred, no argument from me in that regard. however i meant it in the context of sheer size and luxurious appointments. american luxury cars of the 60’s 70’s and 80’s will never match a Duesie or Packard or Cadillac, lincoln or Chrysler of the 30’s in materials and craftmenship. but as far as luxurious appointments and ride and even handling……………..they will decimate most of theose cars…..just look at a 74 to 76 fleetwood talisman or a 57 eldo brougham. Btw i owned a 77 and an 84 ninety eight regency great comfortable and reliable cars.

Me too! My dream car that I periodically check Craigslist for is a 1980s RWD Buick Electra sedan, white with the dark blue velour interior. It would have to be a cream puff car as I don’t have the time to do a restoration.

Beautifully written, Mr. D. And has there ever been a better picture taken of one of these? This could have been lifted from a brochure.

The 1984 sales drop is surprising to me as the economy was picking up and these were still the gold standard in their segment. It was, however, the 5th year of its styling cycle. Could the new 85 models have gotten an early start on their model year?

The ‘85s did, indeed, get an early start to the model year – April, if my memory is correct.

The reason I say that is because my Dad cross-shopped these when he bought his ‘84 Cadillac in March of ‘84. By that point, inventories in our locale were a bit thin; the Olds dealer only had a few Ninety-Eights, and the only one with desirable options was a diesel (which was a no-go for Dad). It’s as though these were not being built, perhaps because the lines were being retooled, or maybe to build expectations for the ‘85s?

Unfortunately, and as I’ve probably posted too many times, the HT4100 Cadillac was not well put together, although it never left Mom or him stranded. Not long after this purchase (April or May), Dad received a “special invitation” from the Cadillac dealer for the unveiling of the ‘85s, and only one was provided for a “demonstration drive” by the dealer’s staff. My dad, another man of about the same age and I were thoroughly unimpressed; I recall the other man saying he was going to look at Lincolns.

This makes perfect sense. I would suspect that GM feared having too many of these 84s on the lots when the 85s came out more than they feared losing sales for lack of inventory during the model changeover.

To your and BuzzDog’s point, you’re both right – the ’84s had an abbreviated run. Given that, and pro-rated for what would have been an entire year’s worth of sales, the ’84s would appear to have sold at a clip on par with the ’83s.

Also the extended run of the ’85s makes that model year’s sales total seem just a bit less impressive, I suppose.

These RWD fullsize GM cars were amazing…best A/C in the business, lots of torque, great transmissions until they started with the craptastic overdrive units around 1980. There was no better way for a kid to get to Florida than riding in the back seat of a big Olds or Buick…made the trip to Sanibel many times in the back of an Olds 88…my parents would throw us in the car and drive straight through from Cincinnati to Sanibel…makes me shudder thinking about a long drive like that now, that’s what cheap Allegiant flights are for.

The very early OD transmissions had some durability issues, but they were improved quickly. A TH200-4R was a big improvement over the three speed TH200 you got otherwise. Maintenance was key to making them last long. I have owned numerous GM OD’s from this era, TH200-4R’s and TH700-R4 and never had any failures even with high mileage.

The sight of this Ninety-Eight in front of an exclusive urban club reminds me of my own experience at such a club in about 1984, when I was 11 or so. In my case, it was the Union League in Philadelphia, an upper-crust social club that was ultra-exclusive at the time. Given my middle-class suburban background, this wasn’t someplace my family talked about much.

But one year I had a friend whose father was actually a member. I never met his father, since his parents were going through a divorce, but one December this kid’s mom mentioned that she was planning on taking her two kids to a fancy dinner at the Union League, since she still had her husband’s membership card, and it expired at the end of the year. She asked if I’d like to go too.

Mrs. Gordon drove a late 1970s Cadillac Fleetwood – a gift from her husband from happier times, and a perfect mode of transport to the Union League. Being a group of a woman and three kids, we ate in the basement dining room (women & kids were not allowed upstairs), but it was still the fanciest place I’d ever been. I remember having caviar; I’ve never had it since.

Leaving the Union League that evening, having the doorman open the Cadillac’s rear door for me, and settling into the gray button-leather seats… I thought “this is the only time in my life I’ll have this experience.” I was right.

Decades later now, the Union League still exists apparently, but isn’t as stuffy and crusty as it once was. And traditional luxury sedans like that Fleetwood, or this Ninety-Eight, are just memories. But to me, a club like that and a car like that go together perfectly. Thanks for rekindling these memories!

Eric, thank you for sharing that! What a great account. After reading your story, I realize I had misnamed the “Chicago League Club” – it was actually the Chicago chapter of the *Union League Club*. So, thanks to you, I’ve fixed the text.

The ULC was plenty flossy when I went there probably over ten years ago. The chandeliers. The menu. The animal heads on the wall (IIRC). It was quite the cool, old, old-school club.

I have had brunch a few times at the ULC – quite the formal place. I also spent some time browsing the library upstairs, there were some interesting historical books and also some on the history of the Cubs, including their 2016 World Series run. The old paintings that adorn the walls at the club are quite valuable one would assume. Very nice, classy place. An Olds 98 is fitting in this context.

That is a great memory, thank you for sharing. Sadly, too few understand the actual “experience” of formal dining and what an amazing thing it was. Very few of those kinds of restaurants and clubs still exist, and few desire to use them. The trend towards “casual at all costs” means no one wants to put on nice clothes, eschew other distractions like cell phones or small children, and have a professional wait staff delight you with a well executed service. The food was actually secondary, the service was the reason to go. Now, we go in shorts and tees to eat overly composed delicacies served by trendy wait staff who are just waiting for another gig doing what they really want to do for a living. The supper clubs, and these associated large US sedans, only exist as a relic and reminder of days past.

So true. As I read your words I felt a faint yearning for an experience I’ve never had.

It’s true what you say about people nowadays; I hate dressing up (I utterly loathe and detest ties!) but unlike most I would be more than happy to leave my phone (and grandson) at home. I’m not sure that my manners would be up to the expected standard though. The one time I have had silver service (a lovely High Tea with my wife when we were on holiday in Sydney) I felt decisively out of place, worried in case I committed some unknown faux pas, and kept wondering what the wait staff thought of me – yes, in tee shirt and shorts!

Although I am often a harsh critic of GM, I have to say that a black Olds 98 was very much an aspirational vehicle for me even as late as 1984 – in a way that no Caddy or Buick could match. A 98 spoke of comfortable success with nothing to prove to anyone.

Quiet, comfortable, powerful, effortless, splendid isolationism; I think the analogy to a private club is a good one. I very much wanted to achieve enough success to join the 98 club (the Union or the Standard club weren’t goals because I didn’t even know they existed….) someday.

A Mercedes or BMW in those days spoke of a very different person (in my opinion at least). The Mercedes was expensive, yes, but not comfortable. They were the rich man’s practical car – never going to break; more of ‘Super Volvo’ than a luxury car.
A BMW was for someone who enjoyed driving…. but frankly in most of America in the 70’s and 80’s the wide,flat, straight, endless roads and 55 MPH made a BMW nothing more than a status symbol in any state west of Virginia or east of Colorado.

The Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency sedan will always hold a special place in my heart.

My mom had a ’77 in which I learned how to drive. It was cool for a high school kid to have a big luxury car to (sometimes) drive.

Then, 6 years later, the ’77 turned into an ’83 Regency Brougham. Exactly like the one in the main pic, only an ’83 (basically, the same exact car). It was loaded, too. Moonroof (oops, sorry, “ASTROroof”), digital cassette stereo, dual power seats, etc.

Anyway, I liked the ’83 more because of the look. So prestigious and majestic.

Thanks for the wallpaper image, it’ll get used on my computer. I change the wallpaper every day.

This era of 98 gets a thumbs up from me for the exterior and interior design. The dark red was certainly a popular colour for these cars back then. Still a few of these around usually driven by older gents (older than me). Some are in very good condition.

Another fantastic picture and wonderfully written post. This brings so many things to mind for me, many of which tie directly to the fall of GM. The picture of the Ninety-Eight in front of the club absolutely nails the desirability that these cars once had and why they were the “go to” choice for affluent buyers. GM at its best served up cars that were stylish in the current fashion idiom, with plenty of power and great ease of use.

But then GM fumbled incredibly badly. Even with this C-Body Ninety-Eight. How? By keeping them around too long and by dropping the appropriate engines (350 V8) and saddling them with Diesels or the underpowered 307 V8. My mother was in the market for a new car in 1983, and she had enjoyed a string of 3 Ninety-Eights since the early 1970s. So naturally Mossy Oldsmobile was the first stop, and the Ninety-Eight Regency Brougham was the first car we test drove. The car was very plush, loaded with leather seats and all the options. But it felt huge—what had seemed “downsized” in the late 1970s felt “oversized” once again in the early 1980s. Adding to the impression of bulk was the fact that the car was really slow—the 307 V8 just didn’t have the potency to offer anything beyond “stately” performance (Mom’s ’79 98 LS had the 403 V8, so the ’83 98 was a real comedown). She opted for a loaded Cutlass Supreme Sedan instead, which offered a more “socially acceptable” size and somewhat better pick-up from the small V8 in the smaller, lighter G-Body. Plus, the Cutlass was different (for her) and therefore seemed more fresh, rather than just being another version of the same car that she had already been driving for years.

That’s the next big issue: style. GM had served up fresh designs on a pretty regular basis for decades. The cars seemed current/trendsetting and were kept up-to-date. The General’s design cycle had stretched to about 6 years between major refreshes during the 1970s. But by 1983/’84, this Ninety-Eight seemed frozen in time. It was a great expression of an older era, but upwardly mobile buyers wanted what was “next” not another copy of “what had been.” According to buff books, the big GM cars were slated to be downsized and switched to FWD for 1983, which would have been a logical time for those cars to appear and they would have seemed very current, at least from a size and packaging standpoint. But the launch dragged out until mid-year ’84 for the ’85 FWD C-Body and ’86 for the FWD H-Body (replacing the B-Body). And the bigger problem: they weren’t particularly good looking. Bill Mitchell had clearly left the building. The style and swagger that had defined GM cars for years was gone, replaced by similar looking boxy designs with less brand differentiation than ever. Another huge issue was inside. Barcalounger-style pillow-tufted seats with faux-embroidered crests, fake wood and strip speedometers represented mid-1970s style in the mid-1980s. The dated interiors clashed with the smaller, boxy exteriors, and big GM sedans shifted from being “on-trend” for a wide swath of 30-something to 50-something buyers to being only for “old-people.” The fall was hard and fast.

The neighborhood where I grew up had been a GM bastion, filled with a heavy concentration of Oldsmobiles. But for those buyers, the old cars were kept around too long and the new cars were unattractive. Little wonder that in the decade between 1983 and 1993, the entire fleet of cars had shifted dramatically, with GM being the biggest loser. The old Ninety-Eight, no matter how “right” it had once been, could no longer withstand the changing tastes of the times.

You touch on a couple of things that should be expanded, GN. As I recall the dash of the 80-84 version of the car was virtually identical to that of the 77-79 edition, so the car felt little changed from the drivers seat. Other than, as you note, a big power deficit.

The other thing I remember vividly was when my mother began shopping for a new car in 1985 to replace her 80 Horizon. I knew she wanted to go to something bigger and was resigned to the likelihood of the last of the RWD Olds 88s, a car I never liked the styling of. I was really surprised when she whipped out her Consumer Reports Buying Guide and pointed out to me that the Ford Crown Vic was rated significantly better in quality than the big B body Olds. This shocked me on two levels. First, as much as I had disliked GM cars for various reasons, I had always taken it on faith that they were built better than the stuff from Ford and Chrysler. Second, Consumer Reports did what I tried and failed to do in the 70s – get her to buy a new Ford. She remained a Ford girl for the rest of her days. It took a free car giveaway to get her back into a GM car for her last several years of driving, and she liked the Lacrosse OK, but she missed her Crown Victorias.

You’re right about the big Olds instrument panel–it was virtually the same for the entire ’77 to ’85 run for the RWD B- and C-Bodies. I am sure that played into my mother’s thinking about the car being “same old, same old.” At least her ’75 Ninety-Eight had featured a different instrument panel than her ’71, making it feel “updated” from the driver’s seat.

1985 was a tough year to be buying a GM car. My Pop was thrust unexpectedly into the market when his ’84 Buick Regal Sedan was deeply submerged in a street flood in New Orleans and written of as a total loss. Since it was a company car, Pop had specific criteria: 4-doors, very nice but not too fancy, big enough to hold 4 comfortably and sold through a dealer where he had business ties. So that brought him back to Buick, but the Regal Sedans were no longer available. His choices were the Century (too small and rather generic), the new downsized FWD Electra (ugly and expensive) or the old-school LeSabre Limited Collector’s Edition. He went with the B-Body as the best of the limited options, and always regretted the choice. The car was very poorly made, with squeaks, rattles, misaligned panels and trim, loose upholstery, carpet that was pulling up and interior lights that would randomly flicker on and off. Plus, the powertrain was underwhelming (it was slow with the same Olds-built 307 V8 that GM was slapping under the hoods of related Oldsmobiles). The LeSabre felt huge and mushy at a time when automotive tastes were swinging toward more rational sizing and better responsiveness.

Pop’s company cars were on a 2-year replacement cycle, and the switch couldn’t come soon enough for him. He was thrilled to be rid of the “Bloody Marshmallow” (the LeSabre’s nickname since it was white with red leather inside) and got an ’87 Pontiac Bonneville SE. As far as the H-Bodies were concerned, the Bonneville offered the most contemporary styling inside and out, plus it was a satisfying car to drive with good power and decent handling. If GM had served up more cars like this Bonneville in 1983 (rather than ’87), when the market tastes were shifting radically and the Bonnie would have been seen as very new/on-trend, then they might have had a better shot at retaining their leadership crown….

I remember, back in high school, the father of a buddy of mine had a 98 Coupe, it was a real looker, it just reaked stature. They lived in ultra suburban Westchester County NY, so they fit right in. It was gray, an appropriate color car for the owner of a funeral home. During the week he dressed in black or gray, but on the weekend it looked like he was going out to play golf. They were a great bunch.

Wow, what a great find! A genuine CC in it’s original natural habitat. Nice write up, too. I would not have known what that place was. The awning entry looks fancy, but the bricked up windows kind of contradict it. Must be a Chicago thing.

I especially like the first photo when it looks like it’s the only car on the street. Really could be a brochure photo. The only thing I don’t get is that somebody of means is presumably driving this as a classic car, you might expect them to have it clean when they drive it to the club.

It was mentioned above, but I concur that the early introduction accounts for most of the sales numbers. The drop in ’84 sales pretty well corresponds with it being sold for 2/3 of a model year, and the increase for ’85 fits with it being sold for 1 1/3 model years. The downsizing didn’t seem to effect sales. From ’76 to ’86, they sold in the 100k ballpark every year. ’87 started a slow gradual decline until it dropped off the cliff in the mid-90’s.

In 1984, Olds hedged its bet a bit by introducing the Delta 88 Royale Brougham “Luxury Sedan” or LS (longest name ever). It was a flossier version of the 88 for 98 customers disappointed that the big RWD version was being discontinued. They sold 17k in ’84 and 30k in ’85.

Great write-up and photography. I can recall being surprised by running off to the loo and seeing a bathroom attendant, or seeing a pay stall and not having the correct change, but this was lingering mostly in the UK when I was a kid. Since your feature car is almost the double of mine, I thought that I’d attach a few pictures. Mine is an ’83 with 307, and is only the “base” Regency. No Brougham sighting here!

Thanks for the kind words. Most, like this one, are decent drivers, needing the odd bits done or touched up, I have never shown any cars, and just prefer to drive and enjoy them. The headliner (the curse of any ’80’s GM), has been replaced since the picture was taken.

Fine article. My lawyer brother bought a white ’83 Olds 90 Regency Brougham sedan after his ’81 Saab 900 Turbo sedan self-immolated. He kept it a few years, then started a string of SUVs which continue to this day. One interesting factoid about the ’77-’85 Olds RWD B/C biggies is that you could get an option with temp, volt, and oil pressure gauges.

Great writeup and a great-looking car. And a terrific color combination. Deep burgundy seems to suit the large American cars of this time better than just about any other, I think. Quiet dignity. A childhood neighbor had a 1979 98 coupe in powder blue metallic with white padded vinyl landau roof. It lacked…gravitas. And I think the Olds version of the facelifted big GMs came off the best. Love the front-end detailing. Detailed but not too fussy.

The parents of a good friend of mine bought one in this burgundy to replace an ’80 Grand Marquis with which they weren’t delighted. George had retired from the personnel department of a major corporation, had driven Continental convertibles and Mark’s but settled for mid-market luxury sedan more recently then. He was delighted with the luxury aura the 98 exuded, to the point he said it was on par with his Mark III. Although it wasn’t considered a top-tier luxury car in reality, for that generation in their retirement years, it satisfied their need to still projected their achievement of success.

I am classic cars collector. I remember my father had exact car was beige color back in 80s. regarding Oldsmobiles 2 years ago I bought All original 1979 Hurst/Olds white/gold color with beige cloth interior. 6,900 original miles with all documentation owners manual. 350, tilt steering, factory AMFM radio, Factory AC, power windows, rear defrost beautiful and rare Olds from the past!

Great article! I’m struck by the cultural differences between the right and left coasts though. Even when I was growing up in So California (60’s & 70’s), “dressing up” for lunch or dinner was strictly an optional thing, even in the finest establishments. I remember how shocked my dad was in Boston, when we were denied seating in a restaurant because neither he nor I had a Sport Coat and Tie on, This was in 1972, when shorts and flip flops would’ve passed muster at the Five Crowns in Laguna Beach. (t-shirt was required minimum though)

I interviewed for a position as an apprentice Building Engineer at the Standard Club back in the early 1990s. Inside is amazing. Think of as much leather and Mahogany as you possibly can, then double it.